Asahi Kasei’s Microza™ hollow-fiber membrane selected for desalination plant in Kuwait
– the company’s largest order for water filtration membranes –

October 18, 2017
Asahi Kasei Corp.

Microza™ hollow-fiber membrane for water treatment from Asahi Kasei was selected as pretreatment membrane for the Doha Phase 1 reverse osmosis (RO)1 seawater desalination plant to be built near Kuwait City by Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction, a major Korean plant construction company.

The Asahi Kasei membrane treatment capacity for this project is scheduled to be 610,000 tons per day, representing the largest hollow-fiber filtration membrane order received by Asahi Kasei.

Many RO plants for seawater desalination are planned in Kuwait and other countries of the Middle East to address chronic shortages of fresh water, with microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) membranes including Asahi Kasei’s Microza™ being adopted as pretreatment membrane.

In addition to being widely used around the world in the fields of potable water production, wastewater treatment, and water recycling, Microza™ has a growing track record as pretreatment membrane for RO in the Middle East. Microza™ was selected for the Doha Phase 1 Plant in recognition of its outstanding performance and reliable operation, and Asahi Kasei will actively continue to focus on meeting growing demand in the Middle East.

Outline of the Doha Phase 1 Plant

Location
Doha, Kuwait City, Kuwait
Capacity
610,000 tons/day (Asahi Kasei membrane)
Concessionaire
Kuwait Ministry of Electricity and Water
Contractor
Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co., Ltd.

About Microza™

Based on Asahi Kasei’s original membrane-formation technology, Microza™ hollow-fiber membrane made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) exhibits outstanding physical strength and chemical resistance, with high filtration performance as well as long-term durability in water treatment applications exceeding competing PVDF membranes. Asahi Kasei is one of the world›s leading suppliers of hollow-fiber membrane and systems for water treatment, with its Microza™ membrane used at over 1,600 plants worldwide. In the United States market for membrane-process potable water clarification systems, the world›s largest, Microza™ holds the leading share. Adoption of Microza™ has also been growing firmly in many countries which face water shortages and growing needs for improved water quality, including China, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Middle Eastern countries. Asahi Kasei will continue to contribute to solutions for a wide range of environmental problems related to water resources throughout the world.

  1. 1 A method of producing fresh water by removing salt ions from seawater with a special membrane at high pressure.